Chapter 23: The Irritating Woman
Was it when he was leading the guests gathered in the drawing room into the dining room?
No, perhaps it was the moment that pale face caught his eye as he casually glanced around.
“If I’d known you were here… I wouldn’t have come this way…”
Her lips, trembling as if wronged, flushed red with indignation.
The moment he faced that same face from the rose garden earlier that day, his brow furrowed instinctively.
‘Why is she here?’
He was certain she had been temporarily relieved from parlor maid duties due to her injured hand.
Perhaps misinterpreting his puzzled gaze, the woman flinched and quickly turned her head away.
Her reaction oddly grated on his nerves, but Raymond soon returned to an indifferent expression and headed toward his seat.
Every year around this time, Raymond invited a few old friends to Elfengrin for dinner.
Though it was a routine event, the gathering was quite enjoyable for Raymond, catching up with familiar faces after a long time.
It was a chance to hear news from Denver and learn about the daily lives of dear friends.
But strangely, unlike usual, he found himself unable to focus as time passed.
He smiled and nodded in response to the lively chatter, but his attention was entirely elsewhere.
Though he vaguely knew why, the more he tried to focus on the table, the more futile it felt.
Damn it, no matter what Robin said in her defense, he should’ve fired that blasted maid that day.
Clicking his tongue softly, Raymond, as if giving up, called the person irritating his nerves closer.
Even though her tense voice betrayed her nervousness, the woman put on an innocent face as she responded.
Fine, since he called her, he should say something.
But what?
Tell her to leave the dining room immediately because she was getting on his nerves?
Or tell her to leave the estate entirely so she’d never cross his sight again?
Various thoughts swirled chaotically in his mind, but what came out was absurdly trivial.
He told her to pour water into his glass.
A glass that was already half full.
Truly, he couldn’t have been more foolish.
But she didn’t seem to find anything odd about it.
Even if she did, what could a servant, bound to follow orders, possibly say?
Staring at her hand tilting the water pitcher, Raymond let out a faint, mocking smile.
As the unpleasant moment passed and he thought it was finally over, irritation surged again when he saw her enter the smoking room.
At this point, a reasonable suspicion arose.
Out of all the servants and maids, why did this particular maid keep appearing in his sight?
Was she one of those types who showed up just when you thought you’d forgotten them?
Those vulgar women who, ignorant of their place, relied on their pretty faces and threw themselves forward.
Of course, her approach was entirely different from the usual tactics.
No, if that was her intention, it was far more cunning.
From the moment she first caught his eye, she hadn’t left his mind.
No matter how hard he tried to shake her off, it was maddeningly persistent.
“Oh, could she be the maid Lord Leicester was talking about…?”
The words suddenly pierced through his tangled thoughts.
A low, murmuring voice, brimming with curiosity.
Following the gaze, he saw a man’s face filled with strange intrigue.
The moment he realized what that gaze was directed at, a surge of displeasure welled up.
Her unusually pale face, mysterious golden eyes, and an inexplicable aura that drew attention.
She wasn’t as glamorous as Baroness Evitz, who had been the talk of the men earlier, but there was an indescribable charm to her face.
No, this type was even more likely to stir men’s baser desires.
That must be why these men, who had been joking lightly moments ago, were now eyeing her so intently.
As if trying to peel away each layer of her clothing with their persistent gazes.
“Is there… anything else you need?”
Whether she noticed their stares or not, the woman approached him, blinking her innocent eyes and saying such nonsense.
Foolishly.
Perhaps sensing the coldness in his silent stare, her golden eyes began to waver.
Without reason, irritation and displeasure surged, yet he found himself momentarily entranced by the shimmering golden waves of her eyes.
That was it.
The reason this maid felt so uncomfortable and dislikeable.
Someone who stole his gaze and muddled his thoughts against his will could hardly be welcome.
So, to the woman nervously gauging his reaction, Raymond had only one thing to say.
As he had before—
“Enough, get out.”
It was a simple matter of removing her from his sight.
* * *
For servants working in noble households or grand estates, holidays were rare or severely limited.
With frequent social gatherings in the manor, working over twelve hours a day was standard, and the intensity was grueling.
However, thanks to the devout Catholic Dowager Duchess Eleanor, the Cheister household granted servants a short holiday once a week, split into morning and afternoon shifts on Sundays.
The maids, exhausted from a week of hard labor, eagerly anticipated this break.
Though it was a limited rest, split into half a day, it was something they could only dream of without the thoughtful duchess, so they were deeply grateful.
How they spent this precious time varied.
Some attended church, as per the duchess’s wishes, but not everyone did.
Some went for walks in small groups, others stayed in their rooms reading quietly, and some went on picnics.
Broadly speaking, Deborah typically belonged to the group that spent their holidays quietly.
“Deborah, are you ready?”
The attic door swung open, and Hannah burst in with an excited face.
“Um, Hanna… is it really okay for me to come?”
Today’s holiday saw a few like-minded maids planning a picnic.
Given Hanna’s outgoing nature and wide circle of friends, it was only natural she was included, but Deborah, who had joined on a whim, felt uneasy.
The reason was that she hadn’t prepared anything for the picnic.
The servants’ picnic was quite different from the lavish ones of the upper class.
For one, the food was different.
Though the kitchen was stocked with abundant ingredients, those belonged to the Cheister family.
It was unthinkable for servants to use even a single grain without permission, so the food for today’s picnic was prepared by pooling small contributions to buy items from outside.
Having joined at Hanna’s insistence without contributing anything, Deborah felt perpetually uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Hanna furrowed her brows sharply.
“Hey, it’s fine! The others said it’s okay too.”
“…”
“I mean, come on, how many times have you done their hair? They genuinely said it’s fine for you to just come.”
Hanna spoke firmly, as if driving a wedge into Deborah’s hesitation.
But doing their hair was something she enjoyed, and it didn’t cost anything.
Just as she was about to say she’d rather not go, Hannah cut her off sharply.
“Ugh, come on! Stop dawdling and get up!”
*Smack!* The sound of Hanna slapping her back echoed sharply through the air.
A clear, cloudless blue sky.
The warm spring breeze gently brushed against their skin, making for wonderfully pleasant weather.
Beneath it, a group sat on a linen cloth spread out on the grass beside the grand central fountain.
It was seven or eight young maids from Elfengrin.
Having shed their usual drab maid uniforms, they looked like young women who had just outgrown their girlishness.
“So, that rumor was really true?”
“I’m telling you, I heard it with my own ears.”
As if she’d uncovered some grand secret, Celine quickly glanced around before whispering conspiratorially.
“They say a maid from the Lanfrey household was kicked out while pregnant.”
At the shocking revelation, everyone gasped.
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By Anna 💓
